Attractions & Visitors' Guide

Gardens, Arboretums

Vistors have a wonderful array of things to do in Bucks County and
surrounding areas. We've gathered a wide variety in this guide for visitors, and
we continue to add more. The list grows and grows.

If you have further interest in gardens and gardening, go to our Gardening Guide
for local gardens and garden centers, native plant sales, garden events and clubs, community gardens, and much more.
If you have a particular interest in gardening for butterflies, be sure to visit our Butterfly Website.

Cultivating the power of the arts - the Abington Art Center inspires individuals and strengthening community. Located on a historic 27 acre campus in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, Abington Art Center presents exhibitions, programs and events designed to make the visual arts a part of your world. We believe art should be engaging, approachable and, above all else, fun. At Abington Art Center, you won't just observe art. You'll touch it, feel it, create it and be a part of it. Visit our Sculpture Park and galleries featuring the work of today's artists, explore making art yourself in one of our many workshops and classes or bring your family for one of our many events such as concerts on the lawn, or coffee talks with artists.

The Rose Garden features a beautiful array of rose and other flower varieties, in peak bloom typically in June - July. The Rose Garden is a popular park for walking, bicycling, and photography opportunities. Many couples choose to host their wedding in the Rose Garden, or take engagement or prom pictures.
The 1.3 mile walking loop is a great way to exercise, and features a smaller loop with 10 Wellness Stations, designed with exercise equipment for ages 50 & older. Three pavilions and park restrooms are located off of Honochick Drive.

The Ambler Arboretum of Temple University is an historic public garden within a respected institution of higher education. Its mission is to serve as a living laboratory that promotes love and knowledge of horticulture, understanding of the relationship between people and the environment, and awareness of both the need for and means to achieve greater environmental responsibility.

When you visit Andalusia, home for generations of one of Philadelphia's first families, you share in the hospitality enjoyed by illustrious guests for more than 150 years.Andalusia is the finest example of Greek Revival domestic architecture in the United States.

Tucked away in the historic Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia, Awbury Arboretum is a vibrant landscape with a rich history. Once the private enclave of an extended Quaker family, Awbury Arboretum has been open to the public free of charge as a public park and arboretum for nearly 100 years. Its 55-acre historic landscape now stands as a green oasis in a densely-populated urban environment. Nature, history, and community intersect at Awbury, and the Awbury Arboretum Association is committed to stewarding the relationships between these three pillars of our mission, and continuing to tell and write its story.

These memorial gardens contain three beautiful pyramids and a rose garden commemorating those who have been cremated and have their ashes buried here. It is a place of quiet contemplation, and a beautiful memorial for the departed.

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve (BHWP) showcases an extraordinary diversity of plants native to Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley region. The Preserve focuses exclusively on native plants, in distinction from botanical gardens that may include natives in their collections.

Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. The garden is a study of textures and forms, where foliage trumps flowers, the gardeners lead the design, and even the drinking fountains are sculptural. It is a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home.

Glen Foerd on the Delaware, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on 18-acres at the confluence of the Poquessing Creek and Delaware River. It is the only remaining riverfront estate in Philadelphia open to the public. The estate was saved from demolition by a coalition of dedicated neighbors in the immediate community. The Glen Foerd estate was established by Charles Macalester in 1850. The estate consists of a three story Italianate riverfront house, stone gas house, ice house, Gothic-style gatehouse, a sixty foot high stone water tower, five large greenhouses and riverfront cupola. The grounds include a formal rose garden, vineyard, and riverfront oaks that date back over 300 years.

In 1984, J. Seward Johnson, sculptor and philanthropist, envisioned a public sculpture garden and museum in Hamilton, NJ. His desire was to make contemporary sculpture as an art form more accessible and to offer people from all backgrounds the opportunity to become comfortable with contemporary art. Grounds For Sculpture was conceived as a place where audiences could experience sculpture in a familiar, accessible, and informal setting.

The Arboretum complements the mission of the college's Department of Ornamental Horticulture and Environmental Design by providing a living laboratory of mature trees and remnant native woodland. The Arboretum's designed gardens serves as a "green resource" for the surrounding community. Seasonal beauty combines with the Georgian architecture of many of the college's buildings to make the Henry Schmieder Arboretum a pleasant location here in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia

The Highlands Mansion and Gardens is a 44-acre historic site with a late 18th century Georgian mansion and two-acre formal garden. Surrounded by massive stone walls, the gardens offer a beautiful example of early 20th, century estate gardening with an unusual blend of horticulture and architecture. The site features nine outbuildings, including a bank barn, springhouse, greenhouse, smokehouse and Gothic Revival gardener's cottage.

Hortulus Farm Gardens is a hundred acre, 18th Century farmstead and nursery operation, situated amidst the beautiful, rolling hills of historic Bucks County, PA. Created and owned by world-famous garden and event designer Renny Reynolds and noted garden writer and author Jack Staub, Hortulus Farm Gardens has been called both “a garden of world-class charm” and “one of Pennsylvania’s hidden treasures”. In 2000, the Hortulus Farm Foundation was created to insure that this celebrated property will continue to exist as a public garden and horticultural study center in perpetuity. The gardens at Hortulus Farm are open for tours from May to October as well as for location shooting for photography or film year round. See our photo gallery here

Throughout the Arboretum you will see a variety of trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials, including both native and non-native species. The Arboretum also contains approximately 20,000 square feet of display gardens. The gardens were created for educational purposes. They are also a great place to appreciate nature, meditate, or have a snack. In 1997, a deer fence was installed to protect most of the gardens from browsing. Each garden has a theme, for example: the herb garden, rock garden, cut flower garden, and butterfly garden. Please be sure to close the gates behind you.

Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens is one of eastern Pennsylvania’s great horticultural and environmental assets. As a botanical garden, the Arboretum maintains a collection of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns in a tranquil, naturalistic landscape. In addition, the Arboretum features a diverse collection of rhododendrons and azaleas from around the world. The unique landscape and diverse plant collections provide sanctuary for a variety of native birds, insects and other wildlife.

Linden Hill Gardens is a horticultural destination and retail nursery specializing in new, unusual, and rare plants on a scenic Bucks County farmstead. The nursery has extensive display beds including a deer-resistant garden, cottage gardens, a long border, and courtyard plantings. In addition, themed plant events are held on weekends throughout the summer season.

Longwood Gardens is the living legacy of Pierre S. du Pont, inspiring people through excellence in garden design, horticulture, education and the arts. We continue Pierre S. du Pont's passion for excellence through innovation, creativity, experimentation and professional development. The advancement of public horticulture is central to our role as a global leader in our field.

More than 13,000 labeled plants of over 2,500 types are growing in the Arboretum's living collection. These include representatives of the temperate floras of North America, Asia, and Europe. This historic collection traces its foundation to John Morris's interest in plants from around the world, and includes plants collected in China by E.H. Wilson at the turn of the century. Many of the Delaware Valley's "trees-of-record" (the largest of their kind) are found in the Arboretum. Most notable are the katsura, Engler beech, Bender oak, and trident maple.

These traditional Japanese values are represented by the melding of history and culture at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, a traditional-style Japanese house and garden that reflects the history of Japanese culture in Philadelphia, from the 1876 Centennial Exposition to the installation of its contemporary paintings in 2007.

Open year round, the Arboretum encompasses 650 acres of horticultural collections, rare plant specimens, ancient trees, historic buildings and extensive hiking trails. People visit Tyler for many reasons; opportunities abound for all to learn about natural living systems through our diverse resources.